Updated: 11:55 p.m. AEST. Latest updates at the top.

Dmitry Lovetsky/ Associated Press

A Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 298 people has been shot down in Ukraine, near the Russian border. Twenty-eight Australians were on board flight MH17, which was on route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia Airlines says the passengers included 154 Netherlanders, 28 Australians, 23 Malaysians, 11 Indonesians, six Britons, four Germans, four Belgians, three Filipinos, and one Canadian.

American officials believe a surface-to-air missile hit the plane as it was travelling at about 33,000 feet over Ukraine, though it was unclear who fired the missile or where it came from, Associated Press reported.

Melbourne's Herald Sun has issued a special 7am edition of its Friday newspaper with this striking front cover.

Herald Sun

STATEMENT ON MALAYSIAN FLIGHT MH 17 Friday, July 18, 2014The International AIDS Society (IAS) today expresses its sincere sadness at receiving news that a number of colleagues and friends en route to attend the 20th International AIDS Conference taking place in Melbourne, Australia, were on board the Malaysian Airlines MH17 flight that has crashed over Ukraine earlier today.At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the IAS stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy.

It's one of the worst Australian aviation disasters ever. Twenty-nine Aussies died in both the Trans-Australian Airline (1960) and Australian National Airways (1950) crashes.

Australia's foreign minister, Julie Bishop, has held a press conference in Brisbane. She's called for Australian staff to get access to the site.

ABC News 24

She speculated that the reasons so many Australians died in the crash was due to it being a common connecting flight between Amsterdam-Kuala Lumpur-Perth.

There's also been confirmation many on board the flight were heading to a World AIDS Conference in Melbourne to start next week.

It's not the only event involving Australians overseas this morning. Ms Bishop has confirmed that an Australian suicide bomber has been involved in an incident in Baghdad where at least three people have been killed.

Speaking to ABC Radio National, prime minister Tony Abbott said at least 23 Australians were onboard.

"It seems there were at least 23 Australians on this flight. Obviously the Department of Foreign Affairs is talking to Dutch authorities to confirm numbers and identities but it does seem there were definitely 23 Australians on this flight.

"We can assure families that, at the highest levels of government, we feel for them, we grieve with them and we pray for them. That's the first thing we go. The second thing is to try to provide whatever practical assistance we can, in terms of counsel and the repatriations of remains and so on.

"This tragedy is made worse by reports it might be a crime rather than an accident. Let's wait until we've got all the facts in ... but obviously it is the clear and settled position of the Australian government that larger countries should not bully smaller ones, that countries should not aide people in rebelling against their own government and that disputes between nations should be settled peacefully and under international law.

"We just have all sorts of reports and claims flying around, that's all we have at the moment.

"If it does turn out that this aircraft was brought down by a surface-to-air missile, this would be an unspeakable crime."